AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team closes out January with its fifth road game of the month Thursday night when the Tigers travel to Oxford, Miss., to take on Ole Miss. Game time is 7 p.m. CT at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
Auburn (15-5, 3-4 SEC) is looking to bounce back after a pair of losses to top-25 opponents in their last two contests. The Tigers made big comebacks from late deficits in both games, only to fall short against No. 24 Texas A&M and No. 25 Missouri last Thursday and Sunday, respectively.
In Sunday's game at Missouri, senior Janiah McKay scored a season-high 23 points and helped the Tigers outscore Missouri by 20 points over the final 14 minutes. But Missouri's lead and a difficult first quarter were too large to overcome in Mizzou's 74-65 win.
The Tigers will face an Ole Miss team (8-13, 2-5) that has a pair of wins in SEC play over Florida and nationally-ranked Kentucky. The Rebels have the SEC's second-leading scorer in Crystal Allen, who has the high-scoring game among SEC players this year with 34 points against North Florida on Dec. 28. Five of the last seven meetings between Auburn and Ole Miss have been decided by five points or less, including the last three games played in Oxford.
Andy Burcham and Brit Bowen will have the radio broadcast beginning at 6:45 p.m. CT on WTGZ 93.9 FM; also available online at AuburnTigers.com and the official Auburn Athletics app on mobile devices. The game can also be seen on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.
QUICK HITS
• This is the 61st meeting between Auburn and Ole Miss in women's basketball
• Auburn leads the series 35-25 and has won 8 of the last 11 meetings
• The Tigers won 60-55 on Senior Day last season at Auburn
• This is Auburn's fifth road game of January
• Five of the last seven meetings between Auburn and Ole Miss have been decided by five points or less, including the last three games in Oxford
• Auburn leads the SEC and ranks 5th in the NCAA in steals per game (12.4)
• Auburn has forced 20 or more turnovers in 16 of 20 games this season, including 11 of the last 12
• The Tigers are averaging 25.6 points per game off opponent turnovers
• Senior Janiah McKay passed Le'Coe Willingham for 12th all-time in scoring at Auburn with 23 points at Missouri; she now has 1,492 points
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Give Auburn a 4-4 SEC record at the end of January.
›› Be Auburn's fourth win in the last five meetings with Ole Miss.
›› Give the Tigers four road wins in SEC play, the most since going 4-4 in SEC road games in 2013-14.
AUBURN VS. OLE MISS
›› Auburn is 35-25 all-time against Ole Miss in a series that dates back to 1978. The Rebels own a 13-11 edge in games played in Oxford, and the teams have split the two prevous meetings at The Pavilion.
UP NEXT
›› The Tigers play at home on Super Bowl Sunday for the first time since 2011 when Auburn hosts Georgia at 2 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by SEC Network.
Women's hoops on the road at Ole Miss Thursday
